Overview

• Court records identify the defendant as Thelmo Meneses Santos Jr., 60, of Merced, California, who abused two children repeatedly between 2015 and 2023 while employed overseas.
• One child was 11 years old when the abuse began, according to the Justice Department.
• During the investigation, Santos admitted to law enforcement that he engaged in sexual acts with both minors.
• Army Criminal Investigation Division special agents arrested Santos in Hawaii following a Far East Field Office probe with assistance from the FBI.
• The case is being prosecuted by DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California under Project Safe Childhood, and the plea carries a maximum of 15 years in prison, lifetime supervised release, a $250,000 fine, restitution, and sex‑offender registration under SORNA.